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This is an introduction to the postage stamps of the Queen
Victoria period of Great Britain, 1840-1901. It is my hope that the following
provides viewers with general information covering the line-engraved and
surface printed issues of Queen Victoria's reign. Since this site attempts
to cover a very broad and complex area of philately it is not possible to be
comprehensive, and the intent here is simply to provide a basic outline, a
touchstone, which will guide the viewer towards a more focused study of
specific areas of interest.

The line-engraved postage stamps, the Penny Black and the
Penny Red, provide a microcosm, a world when put under the magnifying
glass, reveals a diverse and complex landscape of technological growth and
expansion, emanating from the invention of the first postal adhesive, the Penny
Black in 1840. Within the star corners and check letters of the Penny
Black and Penny Red lies unique characteristics, like fingerprints, which
allows the would be plater, an understanding of the process of their production,
and the plates from which the stamps originate from.

The surface printed stamps represent a triumph of De La Rue's
technology to overcome the problems that Roland Hill's Uniform Penny Postal
Reform presented as it rapidly expanded, outstripping the capability of
the line-engraved technology of Perkins, Bacon and Petch. The
British postage stamp evolved along with the growth of industry, literacy, and
the colonial expansion of Great Britain. The line-engraved printing
plates were rapidly worn as Perkins, Bacon's attempted to produce the millions
of stamps demanded by the public. The surface printed postage stamps
issued during the mid to late Victorian Period not only represent the
successful resolution of the technological impasse presented by line-engraved
technology, but also serve as a cultural artifact, or archetype of the British
Empire at the peak of its power, culminating in the Jubilee issue towards the
end of Queen Victoria's reign.

Great Britain's Victorian Postal History takes us from the
microcosm of the stamp and printing technology into a macrocosm of global
proportions. In a shift from magnifying glass to map, the covers and post
cards of Great Britain are often a portal into a vast world of conquest and
colonization leading to distant far flung lands beyond the then known frontiers
of the world. The path of Great Britain's postal history follows rail and
steamship from a small island to all directions due east, west, north and
south.

It is my hope to share my fascination with the postage stamps
of Great Britain's Queen Victoria Period with others and and in the process
learn from others. Any contributions, links, comments or corrections are
welcomed. As will become readily apparent, this site is still under
construction, so please be patient and make future visits as new material will
be added shortly.